Liverpool FC Forum

by **account deleted by request** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:28 am

BOSS CONFIRMS PELLEGRINO APPOINTMENT
Jimmy Rice 30 June 2008
Mauricio Pellegrino is set to return to the club as first-team coach, Rafa Benitez today confirmed.
The Argentine defender, who played 12 games for the Reds under Benitez in 2005, will become the second high-profile addition to the backroom team following the arrival of Sammy Lee earlier in the summer.

Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv the 36-year-old had much to offer.

"His role will be first-team coach, and he'll also carry out specialist training sessions," said the boss.

"He can also work specifically with the defence, and also the reserves.

"Pellegrino has a winning mentality. He won the Intercontinental Cup before going to Spain with Barcelona and Valencia.

"He has a lot of passion. When I asked him to come he was very pleased, but first he wanted to find out if there was a school where his three children could play good football. He is a football man."

Pellegrino had been coaching Valencia's youth team.

I think this will be a great signing, as I heard from a few people that when he signed for us before he took on the role of teaching the defense how to play the zonal system. So while he may not have been much of a success on the pitch, he was an undoubted success off it.

I also heard that he was offered a coaching job before he left, but turned it down to return to Spain, great to see him back.

Rafa said he wanted to sort out our defensive problems..... I think this is another indication of that, especially with the 3 or 4 new additions to our defence.

by **7_Kewell** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:40 am

lets hope he works out better as a coach for us than he was a defender.....

by **metalhead** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:14 pm

He could help the team not to concede goals from set pieces.

by **Owzat** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:33 pm

metalhead wrote:He could help the team not to concede goals from set pieces.

Would be a first for him! (helping Liverpool not to concede goals)

by **7_Kewell** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:01 pm

Owzat wrote:
metalhead wrote:He could help the team not to concede goals from set pieces.

Would be a first for him! (helping Liverpool not to concede goals)

exactly...he was an awful player for us.

by **Number 9** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:04 pm

It cant be bad though!
The players wont get any worse for him being there....If he can improve any detail of their game it will be a good thing.
He also won the intercontinental cup...WTF has that got to do with anything Rafa ya nutter!

by **Reg** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:13 pm

His english is cr@p but thank g.od he speaks spanish.........

Will we ever be a British club again?

by **Sabre** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:20 pm

I have some sort of deja vu feeling, as I heard yesteryear he was coming to Liverpool as a coach, but at the end it didn't happen.

by **HacksawJimDuggin** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:29 pm

I am glad to see that Rafa has accepted that he can't do it all (the off pitch, coaching etc) himself and has enlisted the support of Lee and now Pellegrino.

Both will be excellent additions to the back room team.

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:30 pm

Pardon my ignorance....but,,,,,why *HIM* ? What has he got that others don't, say, somebody from the UK ? I'm not being racist here (and I'm not from the UK anyway)....but why look to an ex-player who hardly set the pulse racing when he donned a red shirt (quite the opposite, in fact) ?

by **RUSHIE#9** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:50 pm

He was shite when he played for us, but don't forget that he was right at the end of his career and that was always gonna make it extra hard for him. In his pomp he was a quality defender and I think he will make a decent coach.

by **heimdall** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:26 pm

bunglemark2 wrote:Pardon my ignorance....but,,,,,why *HIM* ? What has he got that others don't, say, somebody from the UK ? I'm not being racist here (and I'm not from the UK anyway)....but why look to an ex-player who hardly set the pulse racing when he donned a red shirt (quite the opposite, in fact) ?

Whether or not he was a good player is irrelevant, Rafa, Maureen and Wenger were all very average players but became very good coaches and managers, lets give the guy a chance.

by **112-1077774096** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:34 pm

bunglemark2 wrote:Pardon my ignorance....but,,,,,why *HIM* ? What has he got that others don't, say, somebody from the UK ? I'm not being racist here (and I'm not from the UK anyway)....but why look to an ex-player who hardly set the pulse racing when he donned a red shirt (quite the opposite, in fact) ?

nepotism mate, jobs for the boys etc

by **dawson99** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:36 pm

heimdall wrote:
bunglemark2 wrote:Pardon my ignorance....but,,,,,why *HIM* ? What has he got that others don't, say, somebody from the UK ? I'm not being racist here (and I'm not from the UK anyway)....but why look to an ex-player who hardly set the pulse racing when he donned a red shirt (quite the opposite, in fact) ?

Whether or not he was a good player is irrelevant, Rafa, Maureen and Wenger were all very average players but became very good coaches and managers, lets give the guy a chance.

Exactly Heimdell, any help that rafa can get, sammy and now this dude has to be beneficial to the club

by **Reg** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:04 pm

On a slightly separate subject, are we now saying there is no english/british coach qualified to our standard?

What does this mean for national football for the next 10-15 years, what does this mean for club football?

Are there no smaller club coaches that could be promoted and given the opportunity in the same way we train, develop and promote players?

Surely if we are successful at developing players we should be equally so in providing the next generation fo coaches??

Seems daft to me, english football will lose as a result.

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